


Yo, Marry Me Bittle!

by micahandthebees



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, I gave them a cat, Jack Bittle, Positive Relationships, Post-Graduation, Providence Falconers, They are so in love, her name is Peach Tree bc Im batshit, i just wanted a nice fluff piece, jack takes bittys name and thats that, jacks first game post wedding, no editing we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:20:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23630719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/micahandthebees/pseuds/micahandthebees
Summary: "Jack, if you're stressing about the wedding…" Alicia jumps in.Bob puts his hand on Alicia's, mirroring Bitty and Jack and smiles at her. "It's not that. Our son is wondering how to tell us that he's taking Eric's name."Bitty's jaw drops. Jack looks at him, panicked.------Jack's starting his own legacy
Relationships: Alicia Zimmermann/Bob Zimmermann, Eric "Bitty" Bittle/Jack Zimmermann, Larissa "Lardo" Duan/Shitty Knight
Comments: 28
Kudos: 363





	Yo, Marry Me Bittle!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey lads jack takes bittys name and thats all i have to say 
> 
> i have never watched a game of ice hockey in my LIFE 
> 
> also the french is mine bc i speak it but i speak french french idk what the FUCK the french canadians r saying im sorry
> 
> jack's the type to name pets after important people or something real weird i am 100% projecting

"And we'll see sunny skies for the rest of the working week, the perfect send off into a slightly cooler weekend."

"Thank you Sam. And now, sport with Carrie and Jeff."

"Thanks John. Now the NHL kicks off tonight and as usual, we always see some new faces and new names, but this year we'll be seeing some new names with old faces! In a press conference yesterday, Providence Falconers alternate captain and NHL royalty, Jack Zimmermann announced he's leaving his famous last name behind and debuting tonight under the same number but the name Bittle!"

"That's right Jeff! This is following his marriage to his long time boyfriend, famous cookbook author, baker and college hockey star Eric Bittle, earlier this year. Zimmermann, now Bittle, as we all know has had a pretty rollercoaster of a career, he came on to the scene as the son of hockey legend Bob Zimmermann, overdosed before he would have been selected for the NHL-"

"From his anxiety medication, as he revealed in an interview last year."

"And he came out on live national television as the first out player in the NHL, right after winning the Stanley Cup in his rookie year."

"Zimmermann-"

"Now Bittle."

"- says he is ready to play tonight and excited to start his own legacy. Well Carrie, I don't know about you but I am excited to see what he's going to do next."

"Me too, Jeff. Now, to baseball news."

\------

"Papa, can you call over Maman? I have something to tell you."

Jack is sweating. Bitty watches him fidget as they sit at their kitchen table with the laptop set up in front of them. His parents are flying down for the wedding in 4 days to help with the rest of the wedding preparations. They watch Alicia glide into frame, a glass of red wine in hand. Bitty can't believe he is going to have her as a mother in law. 

"What's up?" Bob asks, speaking in English for Bitty's benefit. He watches his son carefully.

"Euh, well… euh… I wanted to tell you… ask you.." Jack stutters out. Bitty grips his hands to centre him and gets a small exhale and a grateful smile in return.

"Jack, if you're stressing about the wedding…" Alicia jumps in. 

"No! No no everything is fine! Lardo has everything running like a machine, I think she misses being team manager." Jack says quickly. He looks at Bitty, eyes big and a touch desperate, but Bitty knows this is something he needs to do himself, so he rubs the back of his hand with his thumb slowly to try and calm his nerves a little.

Bob puts his hand on Alicia's, mirroring Bitty and Jack and smiles at her. "It's not that. Our son is wondering how to tell us that he's taking Eric's name." 

Bitty's jaw drops. Jack looks at him, panicked. "Euh… quoi?" he asks.

"Mon fils, Je sais. C'est bien, je ne suis pas fâché." Bob says with a wave of his hand. "How did you know?" Bitty finally jumps in while Jack sits next to him, shock still. 

"Eric, I know my son. What is it that Shitty called you? Jack "No Chill" Zimmermann? I know my son and I know how much you mean to him. Also, the only reason I didn't take Alicia's name is because she wouldn't let me." 

"You would too, in my situation and with my maiden name." She says with a laugh.

Bitty turns to his fiancé and watches him visibly relax, stretching out the fingers that were clenching Bitty's hand and exhaling. He pats his leg comfortingly. 

"So you're really fine with it?" Jack asks.

"Yes, yes it's fine, I promise. When do I get my Bittle jersey? I claim first dibs, I don't care what Shitty has promised you!" Bob says, the wave of his hand nearly hitting Alicia in the face, who dodges it with well-practised ease and glass of wine intact. "Attention, cherie! C'est très chère." She warns, a smile on her face anyway.

"Sorry, Bob, I get the first jersey. Georgia already promised me." Bitty says. Their cat, Peach Tree (Jack chose her name), jumps up onto the table and slowly sticks her head into the frame. 

"Is that our petite fille I spy? Salut, maiomaio! Ça va?" 

They _mostly_ speak in English for Bitty's sake.

"Peach Tree gets the second jersey, but I don't think she'll like it much." Jack says over the cooing from his parents as Bitty grabs her and pulls her to his lap, much to her dismay. He waves an orange paw at the camera and watches the devastation as his soon-to-be in-laws melt at the sight. 

"But she'll look so good in the blue!" Bitty exclaims. "But we promise, you both can have the third and fourth jerseys as soon as Georgia has them!" 

"I'll hold you to that, Eric."

\------

Jack closes the laptop a half an hour later and slumps back into his chair. Peach Tree opens an eye as he moves before settling back into her favourite spot, curled up on his lap. He absent-mindedly scratches the back of her tiny head and closes his eyes, breathing slowly. 

"You need anything, honey?" Bitty asks. He's up and at their stove, already knowing Jack's answer and giving him a moment to breathe. He has the water boiling by the time he gets a response. "Jasmine please, Bits." 

"Sure thing." Bitty drops a kiss to Jack's forehead on the way to their tea cupboard, but stops when Jack snakes a hand around his neck and holds him close enough to sneak a proper kiss. Bitty chuckles against his lips and murmurs "Feeling better, Mr Zimmermann?" 

"My name is Mr Bittle, have you already forgotten?" 

He chuckles again. "Not yet, Mr Zimmermann. Don't get ahead of yourself, sweetpea, you have two weeks to go." 

"Two weeks too long." He grumbles as he finally releases Bitty not before giving him one more soft kiss, the kind still leaves him weak at the knees, and "I love you" whispered against his lips. Peach Tree sits up and stretches before leaving her beloved spot on Jack to snake her way through Bitty's legs. "Hello sweet Peaches!" He coos, ignoring Jack as he exclaims "Peach Tree! Her name is Peach Tree!" at him. "Would you like a cup as well? Or are you hoping I'll give you some milk? Well I'm sorry to tell you, little lady, we are having jasmine tea this time around. But how about I give you some chicken?" 

She meows loudly as he opens the fridge and puts her front two paws on his fingers to hold him still as she eats the piece of chicken. "Now why do you love your grumpy Papa so much when I'm the one giving you all the chicken?" He says to her. 

"It's because I also have been giving her chicken." 

Bitty whirls around. "Jack! We have to watch her weight!" 

"She deserves it, though." 

Bitty turns back to their sweet orange baby and watches her slink away to probably hide in their wardrobe. "She does, but if we're both feeding her the vet's gonna hate us." He stands up from where he was crouched and brings the tea to the table, allowing himself to be manhandled onto Jack's lap. 

"It went well, sweetpea." He says, brushing Jack's hair off his forehead. Jack leans forward and tucks his face into Bitty's neck. Bitty runs his hands up and down his back as soothing as he can manage until he's ready to speak. "Georgia doesn't want to announce anything until the day before. I worry that it's very late but it's nowhere near as big news as the conference after the first Cup." he finally says.

"You're right, but think about how funny it'll be when the press interviews your dad and tries to get him to say that he's disappointed. We should make sure Shitty's with him when they do." Bitty feels the laugh more than hears and knows they're fine for the night. 

Peach Tree silently sneaks back in and jumps up onto Bitty's empty seat, paws on Bitty's legs and meowing for attention. 

"What do you think, Peaches? Want to be a Bittle as well?"

"Her name is Peach Tree! First name, Peach Tree. Last name, Bittle."

Peach Tree meows back.

\------

"And here come the Falconers, led out by St Martin!" 

Shitty is crying already in the seat next to him. The whole group is here to watch his husband's first match as Jack Bittle, his husband. It's not that big of a deal, but to Bitty it feels enormous. He's wearing the jersey, the weight of his own name over the number 1 on his back, he knows, is heavier on Jack's right now. He knows it'll be fine, Jack has worked hard and established himself, won awards and the Cup. He's more excited than anything, and maybe a little turned on at the thought of his husband wearing his name on his back, but he'll wait until this is all over before he even thinks about mentioning it.

All five of the SMH team, and Alicia and Bob are in Bittle jerseys, the first ones that were made. Ransom, Holster, Shitty, Lardo and Bob are playing a game of Spotto with Zimmermann jerseys, with Lardo in the lead by 6 and the boys feeling very sorry for themselves as they cradle their sore arms. His mother-in-law is holding his hand as they watch the team glide out onto the rink.

"THERE HE IS!" Ransom yells.

"Number 1, Bittle!" The announcer calls.

The noise the team and his in-laws makes is deafening as Jack skates out to center ice before turning around and pointing directly at Bitty. "This boy!" he whispers as his heart threatens to burst. Holster and Ransom choose this moment to bring out their handmade sign, waving a huge piece of cardboard that says "Yo Marry Me Bittle!" and getting an eye roll in response that is filmed and displayed on the big screen. 

Jack looks directly at him. Bitty mouths "I love you" and gets a huge smile and a nod in response. Jack points at him one more time before skating off towards Tater, giving Bitty full view of the back of the jersey. "Oh lord." He says, fanning himself. Alicia gives him a smirk.

"Enjoying the view?" She says.

"Lord above, I am being tested, I know it." He responds. She laughs.

"I bet this is how he felt whenever you wore his one when you were alone." Lardo leans over Shitty to say. 

"Larissa, I love you very much, but we are not discussing this in front of my new mother-in-law." He says, shooting her a sharp look. She raises an eyebrow. 

"I'm just saying, the shoe's on the other foot, Bitty."

"Heaven help me." Lardo goes back to typing on her phone.

"Bitty, can you get Mr. Bitty to look at us again!" Holster yells at him over the noise of the crowd. 

"Get his attention yourself!"

Shitty gets up. "YO MARRY ME JACK BITTLE!" he belts out.

Lardo doesn't even look up from her phone when she says, "Shitty, you're on the couch tonight if you even think about taking your shirt off." 

"But Lardo!"

"It'll be two nights if you keep this up. This is Jack's moment, we want the cameras on him not your bare ass." 

He sits down sadly. "You're right." 

Bitty watches his husband loop around the rink, tracing the name across his shoulders. 

His name.

His husband.

"This boy." He says again, wiping a stray tear from his eye.

It's Bob's turn to lean over. 

"Eric. You good, son?" 

Bitty nods. "I'm fine, Bob." He says with a sniff. "It's just a big moment for Jack. He's come a long way and this just feels…"

"Bigger than it is?" 

Bitty smiles, watching his husband line up with his teammates. "Yeah."

"This means so much to us as well." Alicia says. "Really?" Bitty asks.

"You have to know, son, there were times we thought he'd never make it out of that hospital room." Bob says. "We watched him shut out so much and could only hope he'd find someone like you. The fact that he's married and figured out how to make sure every day that everyone knows he found love, that he's so proud of that love, that means the world to us." He and Alicia shared a look, eyes watery. "We were lucky he walked out of the hospital. We were lucky he found Shitty and the team and learned to open up. A loving and happy relationship? This more than a normal parent can hope for for their child. He's so happy, and that's a dream we weren't sure we'd ever see him achieve." 

Bitty reaches over to hold both their hands. "I never thought I'd be this happy in my life, ever. Lil 14 year old me, locked in the supply closet and crying, I never could have imagined I'd be here watching my husband, who, oh Lord, has my last name on his jersey. Oh my, here I go again, cryin' up a storm." He wipes his eyes again and sniffs. 

"Oh! I just remembered. Did Jack send you the pictures of Peaches in her jersey?" 

Outraged, his in-laws tell him no. 

"This boy. I'm just going to send things straight to you instead of asking him to. Here's your granddaughter looking very upset about having to wear clothing." 

Bob and Alicia are still fawning over her when the puck drops. 

\------

"AND BITTLE HAS THE PUCK. I tell you what, the value of Zimmermann jerseys are going to go through the roof now."

"I've got one myself, Greg, and I'm starting to think I should frame it and put it up for sale online. Maybe we should ask him to sign it with his old signature as well, what do you reckon?"

"I agree, Ted. Fantastic pass from Bittle to Robinson there, back to Bittle, he's taking it all the way, HE'S LINED IT UP AND IT'S IN! FIRST GOAL OF THE NHL SEASON GOES TO THE FALCONERS ALTERNATE CAPTAIN, NUMBER 1, JACK BITTLE. And he celebrates as usual, with a point to his new husband in the stands. What a way to start the season, Ted, and a way to remind us all that even though he's got a new name, Jack Bittle is still the same incredible player."

"I couldn't agree more, Greg."

**Author's Note:**

> the french is literally like 
> 
> jack: uh what  
> Bob: My son, I know, Im not mad  
> alicia: oi! babe this is very expensive
> 
> when they talk to Peach Tree they call her their granddaughter and ask her how she is.
> 
> also idk if spotto is international but here in australia its a game where you have to look for a particular thing usually a yellow car and when you see the thing you fucking destroy the arm of the person playing with you like you punch as hard as you can the goal is to murder them u usually play with siblings and friends.
> 
> as usual i write for corinne and also as a desperate cry for attention. Im wetbreadofficial too on tumblr


End file.
